I hope ya’ll had a wonderful three day holiday weekend. Since we just got back from California last weekend (more to come on that) we decided to have a little stay-cation and check out some new fun spots here in Phoenix Arizona!
When we first moved here we would try new restaurants out on a weekly basis (we love food), but we have been spending a lot of our time making our house a home, unpacking and settling in. We actually have loved the slower pace of weekends and the more time at home together. However it was time to GET OUT! It rained all weekend (BOO!) but we still made the most of it.
Friday I had a Lularo Pop Up with a few friends at my house and then the rest of the weekend we ate, played, shopped, swam in our pool (ok just tested it out still too cold) and finally watched the movie TROLLS!!! We all loved it. We actually ended up buying it, cause we knew RJ would want to watch it again. It was one of the best weekends we have had here in AZ in a long time!
Last weekend when we were in California visiting some friends (best weekend ever) I snuck in a 9 mile run with my lovely Cali running buddy Val. It was a beautiful run and I am a little bummed not to have her around for all my long runs. Runs always fly by when you have about 6 months of life to catch up on!
Well this past Sunday I ran 10 miles alone! It was raining so I started the first 3 miles off on the “dreadmill” at the gym and then when I got the courage I headed out in the rain for the last 7. It was just a light sprinkle at first, but then really started to pick up with a strong wind. I listened to a Revelation Wellness podcast to help push me  along, but before I knew it my phone died at mile 5!!! So now I was running in the rain, by myself, with the wind at my face, and I had no music to motivate me. I am not gonna lie I was a little discouraged for a moment. I turned around at mile 5 and then remembered how I had run an entire marathon with no music and IN THE RAIN! Those two marathons were by far some of the hardest, but I finished. So a measly 5 miles was nothing. I had been praying for some SOLO time with the Lord and I sure did get it. I did a lot of praying and listening for the last 5 miles. My body felt great, but as always my hips got a little tight. I really need to work on getting my foam rolling and stretching in EVERYDAY! Since then I have been using BCAA’S like crazy, doing yoga and rolling.
Along with the crazy running, I am also participating in Paige’s Lean Body Bootcamp for the next 6 weeks. I am so excited I jumped in cause this is just the challenge I need to keep me eating clean through the marathon training as well as keep my muscle! Here is what you get in her program:
Lean Body Boot Camp:
- Customized macronutrients (or estimating portions,) with adjustments every 2-3 weeks
- nutrient timing and carbohydrate cycling guidelines and strategies to follow
- Grocery lists, sample meal plans, my meal prep guide, and my travel guide
- Access to your own training platform, thatâ€
s accessible from your computer and mobile phone, with your workouts, video demos, training plans, macros, progress, and more (I pay a premium for this program, and my clients absolutely LOVE the app) - 6 weeks of workouts, with new workouts every week (you will have the choice between the At-Home and In-the-Gym track)
- Daily accountability check-ins, weekly challenges, and bi-weekly in-depth check-ins
- My commitment, coaching, and expertise as a trainer and nutrition coach to help you succeed in your goals
I promise to keep you all updated on the program! So far were in week 2 and I am loving it! I can already tell that I am getting way more satisfied with my crazy training hunger and building back my lean muscle. I have been sticking to three days of running, 2 days of HIIT (aka CYCLEBAR) and 3 days of weights.Â
I am headed to Florida tomorrow and will be working the Run Disney Princess Half Marathon EXPO with Raw Threads. If you are running come say HI!!! This will be my biggest challenge thus far with sticking to clean eats and getting in my workouts. I am going to give myself major grace and do the best that I can. When I get back, I will CRUSH IT!
2 weeks down 8 more to go!!
Question: What is your biggest challenge while training for an event?Â
]]>
I can’t believe this is happening!! This week I being an amazing journey of starting my Revelation Wellness instructor training! If you haven’t heard me SHOUT about this before here is what this training is all about:
“All certified Revelation Wellness® Instructors are more than fitness instructors, they are wellness industry leaders. Upon completion of our thorough training program, you will be totally equipped to lead and instruct others into health and wholeness, rooted in Christ. Not only will you be ready to teach *Revelation Fitness® classes, inspiring and instructing others to get moving, by leading your own joy-filled and freedom-infused fitness classes, you will also be equipped to go deeper with your students as a certified Weigh Less to Feed More® facilitator. Hosting your own holistic fitness classes is an effective way to love and serve people. Most will come to you because they want to get fit or stay fit, but something deeper is always going on. As a certified Weigh Less to Feed More® facilitator you will be ready to lead them into deeper healing and wholeness. Through your *Revelation Fitness® classes and Weigh Less to Feed More® curriculum you will be armed and ready to help people get physically and spiritually fit for their God-given purpose, to love God and love people.
*Revelation Fitness® (the workout class) is not one particular style of fitness training (e.g. boot camp, circuit-style, dance choreography, kickboxing, strength training, senior, or prenatal fitness). You will learn the ins and outs of the main fitness formats so we can help YOU find out how God has designed YOU to move and move others.”
A fitness certificate that combines both fitness and faith, YES PLEASE! This is what I have been craving in my life and I know my world is going to be ROCKED by this entire training. I am praying for the Lord to show me what he wants me to do after this training, I know he has a great plan and I can’t wait to see how it all unfolds.
Question: Have you heard of Revelation Wellness?Â
]]>t have enough of these weekends! That is soon to change.
On Saturday morning we took our time getting ready and loaded up the car with our bikes and a borrowed bike trailer for RJ! We have been meaning to take RJ for a bike ride for a little while now, but we wanted to wait till she was stable enough and could fit into a helmet.
This girl loved the bike ride! She was all about it. I loved seeing her big smile while we covered the road. We rode around town and then stopped at the Olive Avenue Market for a little brunch. Their brunch is to die for! I enjoyed the breakfast tacos (RJ helped me) and hubby got the biscuits and gravy!
Can you believe RJ turned 9 months on Saturday?! Crazy right?! She is seriously the biggest JOY in our lives! We just canâ€t get enough of her sweet smiles.
We came home, spruced up, kissed baby girl goodbye, and headed out for a fun date night! These nights mean the world to us and we know how blessed we are to have such great friends take care of RJ for us while we spend some quality time together.
We finally checked out the Salted Pig in Riverside. Now donâ€t get me wrong, I love salads and clean eats, but be advised that is not what we enjoyed at The Salted Pig! When we first arrived, we took a seat at a bar and enjoyed some drinks and appetizers.
We decided to order some of the Filthy Fries and a flight of their most popular draft beers. The Filthy Fries were thin and covered in beer cheese, roasted garlic, and some kind of amazing seasoning!
We were called for our table, but we decided to stay seated at the bar because we liked our bartender and the ambiance was a lot of fun. The fries were pretty filling, so we decided to just split one of their famous M.S.G Burgers, mushroom, sage, and gouda.
All I have to say is this may be the best burger I have ever ever ever had in my life!
It was such a great dining experience, we canâ€t wait to go back. After dinner, we swung by the theater next door to see what was going on. There was a Doors cover band playing so we stuck around and listened to a few songs just for kicks.
Then we reverted back to our college dating days and headed to a local theme park that has batting cages. I mean donâ€t all the best date nights end with a little friendly competition?!
SO FUN!
The next morning I rose pretty early for an all day TRX Suspension Training. I have been looking forward to this for weeks!
I have never been to a TRX class, but have always wanted to go. I also have always wanted to learn how to us the TRX trainer so I can use it in my personal training sessions. I loved everything about the course and I really canâ€t wait to incorporate it into my own training. Say hello to the newest set of TRX trainers!
Seriously, it was one of the best weekends ever! It gave us a glance of what the summer has in store for us. I am really looking forward to this summer with our little family so much so that I created a summer bucket list!!! I know we may not be able to do everything on the list, but it was fun to create a list of fun things to do over our first summer with RJ!
Summer is my favorite season of the year and I know with a blink of an eye it will be Christmas! I am going to savor every memory of our first summer together as the three of us; itâ€s gonna be epic!
Question: What would be on your summer bucket list?
]]>s post!
I think the things that I loved most about the Expo was the “newbie†floor. This was the area for folks that were exhibiting for the very first time. There were so many stories to be told and dreams to be shared! I loved how some of them starting baking in their very own kitchens. Then, before they knew it not only family and friends were enjoying their products but neighbors and friends of friends! They never dreamed that they would see their products on a shelf of  Whole Foods. One of the things that I love best about being a blogger is networking with so many different brands and connecting with some pretty talented people. I could list them all of for ya, but honestly I am pretty sure that it would take up several pages!!!
Not only did I walk about 5 miles all over the Expo, I did my first 18 mile run for my Boston Marathon training Saturday morning! It actually was my best long run in a long time! I think starting at 5am and the weather being absolutely perfect really helped. I had two Guâ€s one at mile 8 and another at mile 12. I really enjoyed every minute of the run. (That has not happened in a while.)
Oh and guess who turned 6 months this weekend? CRAZY right?!
I also decided to do 40 days of yoga for Lent this year. Instead of giving something up, I decided to add something. I decided to use this time of Lent as refreshment for my soul. Speaking of Refreshment, you still have time to sign up for the Refresh Summit!
I managed to get dressed this weekend 
I had to wear my polka dots so I could match this cutie pie. She pulls them off a lot better than I do!
We tried the Flame Broiler for the first time this weekend, it was a lot like Waba Grill. I liked that the meat tasted fresh and that you could order extra veggies or BROWN rice!
To celebrate the warm weekend we drove out to Pinkberry! Seriously, it’s my all time favorite treat. I know not everyone is a fan, but for some reason when I crave something sweet Pinkberry always hits the spot!
For Hubby, a Reeseâ€s the size of RJ hits his sweet tooth.
So I said what the heck itâ€s your birthday month, go for it!
We walked around the mall a bit and then headed to the park!
We took our shoes off, soaked up the sun and had some appetizers.
Then, we captured some pretty sweet moments of this beauty.
I mean really, could this little girl be any cuter?! I think not!
We were pleasantly surprised to get a spontaneous date night! Once a week and going strong.
So we capped off the weekend with some of Darbyâ€s beef sliders and a glass of wine!
Such a fun and beautiful weekend! So thankful for the perfect weather and some memories made while soaking up my favorites.
Question: Did this post make you hungry or what?!
]]>t think of a better way to run it then with friends while wearing a sparkly skirt!!
MERMAID SERIES MISSION STATEMENT: Mermaid Series is building a welcoming community that inspires women from all backgrounds to uncover and realize their true potential.
Mermaid Series strives to serve as a catalyst for change in women’s lives as they set and discover new goals for themselves in fitness and in life. By providing training, support, motivation and eco-friendly events we are committed to the pursuit of our participants healthy lifestyle. Our events aim to provide an opportunity for positive change while making each woman regardless of their ability to feel welcome.
RACES PROVIDED: The Mermaid Series holds events in San Diego, Arizona, East Bay and San Francisco (so mostly, Callifornia) from half marathons, 10Ks, 5Ks, duathlons, triathlons and even mini races for the kids.
Picking up my BIB has never been easier. When we arrived on Friday we headed straight over to the Mission Bay park to grab our shirts and bibs. I was kinda sad there wasnâ€t a big expo but it was super chill and made the pick up really easy!
The shirts are so cute!
Picture courtesy of Stuftmama
After the three of us got settled in our hotel room, we found a lovely Italian Bistro in Liberty Station called Solare. OH MY GOODNESS! I cannot rave about this place enough. The bread. The wine. The lobster pasta. It was truly one of the best pre-race dinners I have ever enjoyed! I had huge pieces of lobster in my pasta that I couldnâ€t stop raving about. I canâ€t wait to bring hubby here!
After dinner we headed back to our hotel room. (We stayed at the Del Mar, which was very nice.) We laid out all our gear and then enjoyed watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies.
I slept ok…but I kept thinking I heard RJ crying in the other room! Needless to say I was up before the alarm went of at 5:20am. I loved that the race didnâ€t start until 7am. It’s my kind of race when there’s no need to wake up at 4am! I borrowed this awesome sparkly skirt from my friend Heather and it worked out perfectly! Of course I had to represent with one of my favorite Refresh Attire Fit Mom tanks. In case you didnâ€t know, the SHOP IS OPEN FOR PRE-ORDERS!!!!
I loved that we got to see the sunrise as we pulled up to the start line.
We didnâ€t realize that we would have to walk a ways from the parking lot to the start line, so needless to say we took this picture and then the GUN went off!!!!
Talk about a beautiful location!
The first 5 miles were on a flat bike/running trail a long the bay. Pretty much the whole course you could see the water and the scenery was actually really pretty.
I felt good for the first 6 miles, minus some pain I have been having in my left heel. I wasnâ€t trying to PR or even care about my time because I really wanted to to treat this like a training run. But, of course, I canâ€t just sit back because I always find myself thinking “What if this is the last half I ever do?!” It probably wonâ€t be but thatâ€s how my mind wanders. So I tried to keep a 7:45 pace for the first 10k and then between an 8 and 8:15 for the next half of the race.
As you can see, we couldnâ€t have had better weather! Thatâ€s what I love about San Diego. I am pretty sure itâ€s 65-70 and sunny like every day!!!! At mile 8 there was a small hill up on a bridge and then at mile 11 there was another little bitty hill as well. Other than that the course was REALLY flat! Whatâ€s up with me and flat courses these days?!
My ONLY suggestions for the race coordinators of this race is that I wish they would close the course for this event. Towards the end of the half marathon I started to share the small running path with recreational runners, walkers, stroller moms and dads, dog walkers, etc. I was constantly weaving or yelling “On your left!” or “On your right!” towards the end of the race. It was honestly really hard for me to push the last two miles as I felt like I was weaving in and out of others on the path.
But I finished head held high with a strong: 01:45:24!!! Not bad for a training run. 
I loved that instead of a metal that I will never really wear again, they gave us these really cute “Run Beautiful” necklaces!
It was also nice to see bananas, Â muffins, oranges, and other fruit at the finish line!
I was happy with my time and felt really good!
I met up with my running buddies, Val and Tammy, who rocked it and even met Kristin, a blog friend I follow on IG!!! We walked around the little expo afterward and enjoyed some Naked Juice and Luna Bars and then headed back for the 2 mile walk to our car!
We quickly changed and headed out to a new favorite brunch place in La Jolla called The Cottage.
This place has such a cute ambiance. Lotâ€s of umbrellas outside and a cute little white porch, just like you would find on a boardwalk beach house. It was worth the 45 minute wait! When I saw that they had Crab Egg Benedicts on the menu, I knew that was exactly what I had to order!
And of course we enjoyed some fresh orange juice aka mimosas!
We walked around a bit and stopped into Lululemon and I may or may not have walked away with a pair of HOT PINK running shorts!
We left around 3 and got home around 5pm. When I walked in, I was greeted with a BBQ Chicken Pizza with Goat cheese and a glass of Red Wine! Yep. Matt getâ€s the husband of the year award!
I have to say, although I love getting away for a night I missed this face SOOOOO MUCH!
It felt nice not to have a long run on a Sunday and these three got in some extra sleep time while mamma wrote this post. 
Find your next Mermaid Series race at: http://www.mermaidseries.com
]]>s of whole foods, complex carbs, lean proteins, and healthy fats. One of my favorite cookbooks to cook out of while I am endurance training is the Runners World Cook Book!
A little excerpt about the book:
Runners need to eat well in order to perform, and what they eat can have a direct influence on how they run. The Runnerâ€
The book will include two recipe indexes with visual keys for classification at the start of each recipe, with V (for vegetarian), VE (for vegan), GF (for gluten free), and more. The first section of the book focuses on nutritional information and staple ingredients every runner should know, and the second part of the cookbook illustrates how to turn these facts into delicious, quick, and nutrient-boosting meals through delectable recipes.
Every recipe will have an easy-to-follow icon system to identify key recipe attributes (i.e., recoveryfriendly; low-calorie; quick and easy), along with a nutrition guide that will offer readers tips on how to make the healthiest choices regarding that particular category of food. Divided by categories (Salads/ Soups/Stews, Sandwiches/Wraps/Burgers, Pizza/Pasta, etc.), these recipes are presented by types of dishes runner can look to for satisfying performance needs in appetizing ways.
I have been cooking religiously out of this book for the past two weeks now and every recipe has been amazing! I had to share this Southern Unfried Chicken Recipe that the Hubs couldnâ€t stop raving about! I did mess it with it just a bit and didn’t use any cheese because we were out.
Southern Unfried Chicken
-Adapted From Runner’s World Cookbook
Baking keeps the fat content of this comfort dish in check.
1 cup buttermilk
2-3 teaspoons hot sauce (try Louisiana Hot Sauce)
4 skinless chicken breasts, cut in half
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons Parmesan
1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1-2 teaspoons black pepper
1-2 teaspoons hot red pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
Cooking-oil spray
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a bowl, combine buttermilk and hot sauce. Submerge the chicken breasts in the buttermilk marinade. Allow to soak at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours. While the chicken is marinating, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and the rest of the spices in a gallon-size plastic bag. Shake to blend. Using tongs, remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and place directly in the bag of bread crumbs and spices. Shake the bag well, until the chicken breasts are evenly coated in bread crumbs. Remove the chicken breasts from the bag and lay flat on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Allow to chill uncovered in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Lightly coat each chicken breast with cooking-oil spray. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Serves four.
CALORIES PER SERVING: 323 CARBS: 27 G FIBER: 4 G PROTEIN: 39 G FAT: 7 G
*****Oh and did I mention I am running the Mermaid Half Marathon this weekend?!!! Such a fun looking race in the beautiful San Diego area! It will be all women and just an all together FUN RACE!
Questions:Â
What is your favorite comfort food that you like to try and make healthy?
Have you heard of the Mermaid Half Marathon Series?
]]>I just love the beginning of a new month! Donâ€t you? Especially when it has to do with the beginning of a HOLIDAY season! I so love Fall!
I put the fall decorations out. We have pumpkin candles burning daily. I even made some pumpkin-blueberry muffins from Trader Joe’s (I added in the blueberries to the mix and used apple sauce instead of oil).
I have set some October goals because this is going to be a very busy month. I have two races, two weddings, our baby shower, several birthdays and I HAVE TWO BIG DREAMS LAUNCHING this month!!! Although I have enjoyed all the wonderful meals that have been prepared for us, and of course all the yummy desserts, my tummy hasnâ€t. So I am getting back to CLEAN EATS and eating what my body thrives off of. Happy to get back at it!
RJ UPDATE:
We have now had RJ for 20 days and they have been the best 20 days of our lives!
She really is a HAPPY baby and we are counting our blessings for it 
We havenâ€t really tried to put Rylee on a ‘real’ schedule. Instead, we let her tell us when she is hungry or needs to be changed. She has stuck to eating every 2-3 hours and goes potty regularly. She has her gassy days, but never so much that she screams about it for hours.
Rylee started with Enfamil Formula before we got her so we continued using it so that we wouldnâ€t mess anything up. She is doing OK with it, but wish I could have given her breast milk.
We love watching her grow, but man, she is getting big too fast! I am so blessed to be at home soaking up every minute of her smiles!
TRI UPDATE
So I am getting excited about my Tri, but honestly, I just want my race to be finished. I want to spend more time at home with baby girl than I want to be training for this race.
I was committing to two swim days, two bike rides, three run days and five days of GPP, but I had to adjust that a little and have been running 3 times a week (4 miles, 5 miles and a long run day), biking at least once a week (20 plus miles) and swimming hasnâ€t happened since we got Rylee, but I’m trying to swim one day a week! I have been able to do five days of GPP. As soon as I get home from my workouts, I am quickly running to give my baby girl hugs (sanitized, of course)!
After my races are over (October 26th), I will go back to running once a week, biking one a week and doing GPP 5 days a week. I want to keep my fitness a priority, but if I donâ€t get in a workout… it is not the end of the world!
Thank goodness hubby is home for the majority of my training so it makes it a lot easier for me to get out, but once he is back to work, it will be a whole new ball game!
In case you missed, I am participating in the Athelta Iron Girl Triathlon in Lake Las Vegas, NV on October 26th! I will be doing the International Distance of: 1.5K swim, 40K bike and 10K run. I am excited because (1) itâ€s in a lake and (2) itâ€s in VEGAS! YA, BABY!
Have you heard of the Iron Girl Event Series? They are pretty amazing!
“Iron Girl’s mission is to empower women toward a healthy lifestyle. The Iron Girl event
experience provides women with a competitive platform and amenities such as: a post-race
catered Breakfast Café, performance shirts sized just for women, professional timing,
personalized race bibs, custom finisher medals, post-race giveaways and much more. The website is filled with training tips, guest columnists and nutrition information. Iron Girl has also furthered its offerings with the addition of IronGirlShop.com with items such as hydration and nutrition products, jewelry and sports bags. The Iron Girl brand has been featured in a range of media outlets to include USA Today, The New York Times, Runner’s World, Family Circle, Ok! Magazine and Women’s Health.”
Event Details:
Date: Saturday, October 26th, 2013
Location: Lake Las Vegas, NV —-> (Girls weekend!)
(You must be 15 years old to participate in the Sprint Distance Triathlon)
Sprint Distance Triathlon
500 meter swim – 22.5K bike – 5K run
$95.00 until September 1
$105.00 until race day
International Distance Triathlon
1.5K swim – 40K bike – 10K run
$125.00 until September 1
$150.00 until race day
You should all JOIN ME! You can sign up HERE and use the discount code NHERSHOES to receive $10 off registration!
—-
I will be following most of Tim Hollandâ€s “The 12-Week Athlete†Training Plan again, just like I did for my Half Ironman. I love that the book has a plan for every level of athlete. I am going to stick to the Intermediate Olympic Distance plan with a little bit of my own flare.
What my plan consists of:
- Swimming (2 times a week)
- Cycling (2 times a week)
- Running (3 times a week)
- GPP (4 times a week)
- Yoga (once a week)
You can see it more clearly HERE. I have never done this distance of a Tri before, so my #1 goal is to have fun training and finish well.
I LOVE TRIATHLONS so much and I am pretty sure this might be my favorite distance! After this, I will have done every distance besides a full Ironman which I will do one day! I know in the Olympics they get anywhere from 1 hour & 45 minutes to 2 hours finishing times… ya I am aiming for a “3 hours or less” kind of time.
A 30 minute swim, 1 hour 30 minutes bike, 1 hour run. We shall see.
I am so excited to get back in the pool and riding my bike more constantly. I will be doing TUESDAY TRI updates over the next 11 weeks in hopes to encourage you all to get the passion and desire to do one too!
t believe all that went down in Boston, I am praying for everyone that was in the explosion. What a day 
On a happier note this weekend was super productive in our Marathon training!! I feel like all I did was RUN all weekend, well I kinda did.
Friday started off with a 10 mile run, done before 6am!!
I also went to Yoga Friday night and my Bestie D made me an amazing Salmon dinner!! She is such a good cook and I loved the Jasmine Brown rice from Trader Joeâ€s. She added almonds and green onions to it, perfection! We sat in the hot tub after and stayed up talking till past midnight!!!
Late night or not I was up early for a 20 mile Bike ride with Susie and friends!
I love riding my Bike with a group, itâ€s always so much more fun and I feel so much safer!
Later the Hubâ€s and I went to a surprise Birthday lunch for a friend and got to get our baby fever on!!
And of course there was some major carb loading going on Saturday night, cause I had a 20 miler on Sunday!!! I enjoyed a big bowl of whole wheat pasta, marinara, ground turkey and spinach. OH REAL WHITE BREAD it has been too long!!!
Woke up early on Sunday and crushed 20 miles!!!! Susie and I were flying!! We were well under 8 minute miles for the last 5 miles and had an average pace of 8:15!!
My burn was CRAZY!!! I forgot to turn my watch off right away, but still I could pretty much eat an entire days worth of calories and then some!
Our men picked us up and we hit up brunch where I enjoyed an egg white veggie scramble with avocado!! I enjoyed every bite! I am normally not very hungry after running, but I WAS STARVING!
The last thing I want to do after a long run is SIT! I would much rather move to keep my legs from getting stiff, so the Hubby and I went to Home Depot and got some plants for the Garden! I canâ€t wait to garden this year!
When I finally got home, I jumped in the shower then in to my cozies!!!
I am limiting my wine to just Sundays while I train, so opening this baby on Sunday was well worth the wait!! Love a good Syrah!
We also made Home Made Veggie Pizza and watched “Flightâ€, what a depressing but good movie!
Oh and side note, check out this awesome testimonial from one of my New Years Shred participants. You can still sign up for the Summer Shred!!!!
Alright friends, I have to run! I have my Soul Sisters coming over tonight for some food and prayer! Thank goodness todays was a rest day 
Question: Did you see Flight? What did you think?
]]>t believe I am well into week 3 of marathon training!!! It has been amazing. I feel like I am seriously in the best shape of my life. I guess all that cross-training and strength training has paid off! I can not tell you enough friends how strength training has changed my LIFE!
So far we have done a 16 mile run, and this past weekend we did a 18 mile run. It was seriously amazing. We are training on a down hill, flat and a bit of hilly course. We are FLYING!! I pushed us (I am sure Susie loved me for that 
) We did an amazing 8:27 pace and felt amazing! At this rate we could BOSTON QUALIFY!
I have been doing some pretty hard core HIT training after our NROL workouts and I honestly think it is what has helped me keep my speed!!! Love that I am only running 3 times a week and lifting twice a week, such an awesome balance!
This is what getâ€s me up at 4am most mornings!
Ok, I canâ€t blame all my speed on my hard work (ok I DO and I will), but these awesome shoes do help! I may have been converted to a Saucony fan for life!!!! I am loving my new KINVARA 4â€s!!!
LOVE the color, love how light they are, love how I feel like I am running on air!!! I love that their slogan is KICKASSIMUS. I will do a better review once I run in them for a bit longer!
I am still hitting up the gym on Tuesdayâ€s and Thursdays for our early morning gym session to keep up our NROL training plan. Enjoying every minute of it and feel like itâ€s a nice break in between our running days!
FUEL
Fueling while I train is super important to me. I typically have a piece of Ezekiel bread with almond butter or a banana before I head out for a run. It gives me the energy I need and is something my stomach can handle. On Tuesday I was out near a Whole Foods and picked up some of my favorite training fuel, Vega!!! I love their pre workout, sustaining guu, and post workout fuel!
I also enjoy my Shakeology every morning to give me the protein I need, and all my fruits and veggies for the day!
People always ask me how I shop and I tell ya, Fresh and Easy makes life so simple. I pick up about 75% of our groceries for the week there, a few things from Trader Joeâ€s and hit up the farmers market for some produce. I LOVE GROCERY SHOPPING!!! I honestly would love to be a personal grocery shopper/cook one day! I am huge on picking up REAL ingredients and Fresh and Easy makes that so simple!
Most nights for dinner I eat some kind of tofu or fish, a big pile of veggies and a sweet potato or quinoa. I also love a glass of wine about twice a week as well, especially on SUNDAYS!
I canâ€t believe I am running a marathon in 7 weeks, I am not sure it has really hit me yet!!
Question: What is your favorite pair of running shoe?
]]>